Filling machine



April 3, 1934. A. CALLESON 1,953,644

FILLING MACHINE Filed Aug. 51. 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 7 4/705 C0//e$o/7.

A. CALLESON FILLING MACHINE April 3, 1934.

Filed Aug. 31, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 A. CALLESON FILLING MACHINE April 3, 1934.

Filed Aug. 31, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet. 5

INVENTOR /4/770560//50/7. BY Q .4 OREEY A. CALLESON FILLING MACHINE April 3, 1934.

Filed Aug. 31, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 A. CALLESON FILLING MACHINE April 3, 1934.

Filed Aug. 31. 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Apr. 3, 1934 UNITE STATES t me .FFlCE 1,953,644 Fr L 'NG MACHINE Amos Calleson, Merrick, N. Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Crown Cork & Seal Company, Inc., Baltimore, Mriga corporation of New York My invention relates to filling machines and it has particular reference to automatic machines for filling bottles with liquid under pressure.

An object of my invention is to provide a mechanism that automatically supplies a predetermined amount of liquid to a container.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device having a predetermined range of movement for receiving or discharging fluid under pressure.

A further object of my invention is to provide an adjustable fluid-pressure device that is adapted to operate automatically in accordance with the application of pressure thereto from the supply line.

In the operation of filling bottles and particularly with soda water and similar carbonated liquids under pressure, it is desirable to secure a uniform product. The syrup and other ingredients are substantially always measured but it is generally the practice to supply carbonated Water until a predetermined pressure is reached in the bottle being filled. Measuring devices have been proposed heretofore but they have been unsatisfactory for various reasons, such as being sluggish in action and difficult in adjust ment for bottles of different sizes.

In accordance with the present invention, I provide a measuring device for a filling head of 89' a bottling machine that is operated both to receive and to discharge liquid by the fluid pressure of the supply of carbonated water. Its action is automatically controlled by moving parts of the machine which open and close controlling valves.

The measuring device is of novel construction in that it is provided with a piston whose sides are of unequal effective areas whereby when equal pressures per square inch are applied to the opposite sides, movement occurs toward the side of smaller area, as will be readily understood.

The measuring device is in the form of a cylinder to both ends of which is connected the line for supplying liquid under pressure. One end of the cylinder has an outlet to the filling head. A valve controls the outlet and a second valve controls the connection of the supply line to the same end of the cylinder. Pressure is continuously applied to the other end of the cylinder.

When the outlet valve is closed and the supply valve is open, the piston moves in the direction of its smaller side by reason of the differential effect of the applied pressures. The outlet end of the cylinder is filled with water under pressure, the liquid in the other end of the cylinder being forced back into the supply line.

When the positions of the valves are reversed. the pressure on the smaller side of the piston forces it to discharge the contents of the cylfit inder into the bottle. The travel of the piston is adjustable whereby a desired uniform amount may be supplied to successive bottles. The reversal of the valves charges the measuring device in the manner previously described for the succeeding filling operation.

The details of my invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein,

Figure l is a view, partially in elevation. and partially in section, of a filling machine embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a similar enlarged View of the measuring device and certain of its associated parts, 7 Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the structure of Fig. 2,

Fig. i is a longitudinal sectional view of the measuring device taken on line IV-IV of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the filling head comprising the base portion of the measuring device taken on line V--V of Fig. 3,

Fig. 6 is a similar view taken on line VI-VI of Fig. 3,

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view of the valve mechanism taken on line VII-VII of Fig. 3,

Fig. 8 is a view, partially in elevation and partially in section, of the filling and crowning heads and associated parts.

Referring particularly to Figure 1', the filling machine illustrated therein is of the vertical rotary type in which a plurality of bottles are successively filled, the several bottles simultaneously passing through the various stages of the filling operation. The filling machine is also of the type in Which-slidable portions of a plurality of filling and crowning heads are caused to reciprocate relative to the rotary carriers of the heads by means of a stationary cam. In this particular the machine is similar to that shown and described in my Patent No. 1,668,264, dated May 1, 1928.

'I-ne filling machine comprises a stationary base portion 1 that supports avertical post 2. The frame of the machine comprises a top plate 3 to the outer portion of which are secured posts 4 arranged at desired intervals and resting on the base 1. The stationary portion of the machine includes also a cam 5 secured to the upper portion of the post 2 and provided with a cam groove 6.

The rotatable portion of the machine comprises ing six bottles, the upper edge of the carriage being secured to a gear 12, the hub 13 of which is rotatably mounted on a bearing 14 upon the cam 5. The carriage 11 has mounted thereon a plurality of filling and crowning units 15 corresponding in number to the bottles simultaneously in the machine, six being employed in the machine illustrated. unit has a sliding portion or mov-- able head portion that is controlled as to its vertical position by a roller 16 'that co-acts with the groove 6 of the cam 5.

Referring particularly to Figs. 2- to 3, inclusive, each filling crowning unit 15 comprises a filling head ;'.'Z, a crowning head that is immediately above the filling head, and a measuring device 19 that is adjacent to the filling and the crowning The filling head 17 comprises a stationary portion including a base member 20 that encloses a sealing rin 21 of suitable resilient material that is retained in position by a screw-threaded nut 22.

The sliding portion of the filling and crowning unit comprises a hollow cylinder or crowning slide 23 that is suitably arranged by details (not shown) to provide a fluid tight seal for the filling head when the cylinder 23 is in its lowermost position. The cylinder 23 is connected at its lower end to a sleeve 25 that is slidable in the base portion as and operates when a bottle is in filling position to compr ss the sealing ring 21 to make a fiuld tight connection to the bottle.

The or wning head 18 comprises a cap plunger having a rod 26 extending through the upper portion of the cylinder 23 and carrying an annular cam 27 having an inclined portion for a purpose to be later described. A coil spring 28 which surrounds the cylinder 23 operates when the latter is in its lowermost position to effect the fluid tight connection of the cylinder and its associd parts and to effect a sealing engagement of the filling head and the bottle to be filled.

The filling head provided with an air retreat chamber 39 that is in the form of a hollow cylinder and is connected to the filling head by means of a pipe 31. The filling head is also pro vided with a measuring device 19 that is connected to the filling head proper by means of an inclined duct 33, a valve 34 and a second inclined duct 35. The valve 34 is provided with a stem 36 that is normally maintained in its uppermost or closed position of the valve by a spring 37.

The measuring device 19 is provided with an inlet duct 38 that is controlled by a valve 39 having a relatively long stem 40 that extends through a hollow pipe 41 and is connected by means of a duct i2 and a pipe 43 to a flexible pipe 44 that is connected to a suitable source (not shown) oi carbonated water under pressure. The valve 39 is normally held its lower or closed position by a spring 45 and is controlled by an arm 46 actuated by the cylinder 2 The details of the measuring device 19 will now be described with particular reference to- Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

The measuring device comprises a cylinder 4'7 having a screw-threaded connection to the base 20 of the filling head. The upper end of the cylinder i7 is closed by an annular head 48. The interior of the cylinder 47 is provided with a pis ton 49 having a hollow stem 50 that extends upwardly through the cylinder head 48, suitable packing glands being provided for rendering their connection fiuid tight.

The piston stem 50 is provided with a threaded stud 51 that is adjustable for limiting the movement of the piston l9 as will be later described. The cylinder head 48 is provided with an inlet opening 52 to which is connected a pipe 53 in order that fluid under pressure may be supplied thereto.

The diameter of the hollow stem 50 is such that the upper area of the piston 49 is materially reduced. It may be, for example, two-thirds of the area of the lower side of the piston. When equal unit pressure is applied to both sides of the piston is the efiective area of the lower side of the piston is materially greater than the side and the piston moves upwardly. If the pressure is removed from the lower side of the piston the pressure on the upper causes the piston to move downwardly.

In practice, pressure is continuously applied to the upper side of the piston through the inlet port 5. When pressure is applied to the lower side of the piston by the operation of the valve 39, the piston inoves upwardly although the same source of pressure is connected to the two sides of the piston. When the valve 39 is closed and the valve 3% is opened to admit the liquid below the piston to the filling head, the pressure on the upper side of the piston operates to force the liquid in the measuring device into the bottle to be filled.

It may be assumed that the filling machine is in operation and that bottles previously supplied with syrup are fed to the turret 8 in any suitable manner. Each bottle enters the filling machine at a point in which the bottle and its supporting mechanism occupy the respective posltions shown on the left of l. The bottle will substantially immediately be raised in accordance with the usual practice to insert the bottle top into the filling head and force a crown 55 upwardly into the crowning head 18, shown in Fig. 8, the crown having been previously fed to the filling head from a hopper 56 through a crown chute 57.

When the crown engages the cap plunger 26 the latter is pushed upwardly together with the cam 2'7. The lifting of the cam 2'7 by the cap plunger 26 causes an arm 59, that is connected to a vertical rod 60 and to a second horizontal arm 61, to turn to adjust the arm 61 directly over the stem 3c of the valve 34 which is closed.

The height of the bottle may then be com pensated by the usual compensating mechanism (not shown) whereupon the bottle is lowered to filling position in which the top of the bottle in an intermediate position in the sealing ring. Immediately thereafter, the crowning slide lowered and the mouth of the bottle is sealed from. the atmosphere, the sleeve 25 compressing the sealing ring 21 and causing it to firmly grasp the bottle top.

The initial movement of the crowning slide causes the arm 46 to be lowered and permits the spring 45 to close the valve 39 to cut off the supply of water under pressure to the lower end of the measuring device 19.

The further downward movement of the crowning slide 23 which carries the rod 60 and its connected parts causes the arm 61 to depress the stem 36 against the force of the s ring 37 and to connect the lower end of the measuring device 19 to the filling head.

The contents of the measuring device 19 are then discharged into the bottle being filled since fluid pressure is constantly applied to the upper end of the measuring device. The air that has previously occupied the bottle flows upwardly "through the filling head and the pipe 31 into the air retreat chamber 30. When the bottle has been filled by the completion of the movement of the piston 49, the bottle is lifted into the crowning head where the crown 55 of the usual metal and cork type is afiixed to the bottle top to seal the contents thereof.

The crowning slide 23 is then lifted to free the bottle and the bottle is lowered from the filling head, the plunger 26, which may be springactuated, assisting this action. The release of the bottle relieves the pressure of the air retreat chamber and the filling head.

The upward movement of the crowning slide causes the release of the valve 34 and the latter closes to cut off communication between the measuring device 19 and the filling head 17. The further upward movement of the crowning slide then causes the arm 46 to open the valve 39 and carbonated water under pressure then fiows through the pipes 43 and 41 and inlet duct 38 into the lower end of the measuring device, the piston 49 rising under those conditions as has previously been described. The piston rises until the upper end of the adjustable stud 51 engages any suitable stop device for limiting the movement of the piston. This limitation of the movement of the piston determines the amount of water that may enter the measuring device and the amount of the charge is adapted to the size of the bottle.

The filled bottles are successively removed from the bottle turret 8 by any suitable or usual automatic means. The cycle of operation that has been described is repeated for each bottle, the operation of the machine being continuous and the several bottles in the machine being in successive stages of the filling cycle at any given instant.

It will be noted that I have provided a measuring device for filling machines that is easily adjustable as to the volume of its contents and which operates automatically to supply liquid under pressure tothe bottles to be filled. The measuring device is operated in an extremely simple manner by the continuous application of the pressure to one side of the piston and intermittent application of pressure to the other side. Accordingly, the operation of the piston is controlled by a single valve.

The provision of a measuring device having a piston, the effective areas of which are materially different, insure that the single moving part of the device will operate automatically by reason of the differential effect caused by the application of equal unit pressures to the opposite sides.

The foregoing and other advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art relating to filling machines.

My invention may be variously embodied and used. For example, it may be used as an airretreat chamber as shown and described in my copending application Serial No. 303,182, filed Aug. 31, 1928. It is not intended that it shall be limited to the precise use and embodiment of the invention shown and described herein exiept as expressed in the claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a cylinder having two connected openings at its respective ends and a source of liquid under pressure comprising a conduit connected in common to said openings, said cylinder having an outlet opening at one end thereof, of a filling head connected to said outlet, a piston in said cylinder that is differentially responsive to the pressure of said source and valve means for controlling said outlet and one of said openings.

2. The combination with a cylinder having two connected openings at its respective ends and a source of liquid under pressure comprising a conduit connected in common to said openings, said cylinder having an outlet opening at one end thereof, of a filling head connected to said outlet, a pistonin said cylinder that is differentially responsive to the pressure of said source and automatically operable means for controlling said outlet and one of said openings.

3. The combination with a filling head and crowning mechanism adjacent thereto comprising a movable member that is actuated by a bottle to be filled and a valve operating member controlled by said movable member, of a cylinder one end of which is connected to said filling head, a valve for controlling the connection therebetween and that is operated by said valve operating member, a piston in said cylinder having sides of unequal effective area, means for supplying liquid under pressure to both' ends of said cylinder, a valve for controlling the supply of liquid to the end connected to said filling head, and means for controlling said valve operating member to admit liquid from said cylinder to said filling head while the second valve is closed whereupon said piston moves toward the side of larger area to discharge liquid into said filling head and means for opening the second valve while the first valve is closed whereupon the piston moves toward the side of lesser area and the cylinder is again filled with liquid for the succeeding filling operation.

4. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a filling head of a fluid pressure device for controlling the delivery of liquid to said filling head comprising a single cylinder having a single piston therein that is differentially responsive to fluid pressure applied thereto, a continuously open conduit communieating with one end of said cylinder and serving as an inlet and an outlet therefor communicating with said filling head, said cylinder being provided at its other end with an inlet opening connected to said conduit and with an outlet opening, and valves for controlling said inlet opening and said outlet opening.

5. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a filling head, of a cylinder of predetermined capacity, and having a valve controlled outlet port, a piston therein having its opposite sides of unequal areas, connections between said port and said filling head, a source of liquid under pressure, connections between said source and said cylinder upon opposite sides of said piston whereby said piston is actuated by power derived from said source to alternately fill and empty said cylinder and a valve in said connections controlling the flow of liquid adjacent the side of the piston having the larger area.

6. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a combined filling head and crowning mechanism, of a cylinder of predetermined capacity, and having a valve controlled outlet port, a piston therein having its opposite sides of unequal areas, connections between said port and said filling head, a source of liquid under pressure, connections between said source and said cylinder upon opposite sides of said piston whereby said piston is actuated by power derived from said source to alternately fill and empty said cylinder and a valve in said connections controlling the flow of liquid adjacent the side of the piston having the larger area.

7. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a filling head, of a cylinder-oi predetermined capacity, and having a valve controlled outlet port, a piston therein, connections between said port and said filling head, asource of liquid under pressure, connections between said source and said cylinder upon opposite sides of said piston whereby said piston is actuate by power derived from said source to alternately fill and empty said cylinder, and an automatic shifting device communicating with said filling head.

8. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a combined filling cad and crowning mechanism, of a cylinder of predetermined capacity, and having a valve controlled outlet port, a piston therein, connections between said port and said filling head, a source of liquid under pressure, means whereby said piston is ac tuated by power derived from said source to alternately fill and empty said cylinder, a gas retreat chamber, and a pipe connection between and said filling head. 9. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a filling head, of a cylinder having a valve controlled inlet, and a valve controlled outlet port adjacent one end thereof and communicating with said filling head, and a continuously open port adjacent the opposite end thereof, a source of liquid supply under pressure, connections between said sour e and said inlet port and said continuously open poi Jpectively, and a piston in said cylinder having its opposite sides of unequal areas with the larger area presented toward said inlet and said outletports.

10. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a filling head, or" a cylinder having a valve controlled inlet, and a valve con trolled outlet port adjacent one end thereof and communicating with said filling head, and a continuously open port adjacent the opposite end thereof, a source of liquid supply under pressure, connections between said source and said inlet port and said continuously open port respectively, a piston in said cylinder having its opposite of unequal areas with the larger area presented toward said inlet and said outlet ports, and means whereby said valves are successively operated to cause the actuation of said piston to perniit the filling and cause the emptying of said cylinder. 7

11. In a machine of the'character described, the combination with a filling head, of a cylinder having a valve controlled inlet, and a valve controlled outlet port adjacent one end thereof and communicating with said filling head, and a continuously open port adjacent the opposite end thereof, a source of liquid supply under pressure, connections between said source and said inlet port and said continuously open port respectively, a piston in said cylinder having its opposite sides of unequal areas with the larger area presented toward said inlet and said outlet ports, means whereby said valves are successively operated to causethe actuation of said piston to permit the filling and cause the emptying of said cylinder, and means limiting the extent of movement of said piston away from said inlet port to control the volume of liquid delivered thereto.

l2. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a filling head, of a cylinder, having a valve controlled inlet, and a valve controlled outlet port adjacent one end thereof, and a continuously open port adjacent the opposite end thereof, a source of liquid supply under pressure, connections between said source and said inlet port and said continuously open port respectively, a piston in said cylinder having its opposite sides of unequal areas with the larger area presented toward said inlet and said outlet ports, a conduit between said valve controlled outlet port and said filling head, and an automatic shifting device communicating with said filling head.

13. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a filling head, of a cylinder, having a valve controlled inlet, and a valve controlled outlet port adjacent one end thereof, and a continuously open port adjacent the opposite thereof, a source of liquid supply under pressure, connections between said source and said inlet port said continuously open port respectively, a piston in said cylinder having its oppoto sides of unequal areas with the larger area presented toward said inlet and said outlet ports,

conduit between said valve controlled outlet port and said filling head, a gas retreat chamber,

and a pipe connection between same and said 5. ing head.

l l. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a filling head, of a cylinder having a valve controlled inlet, and a valve controlled outlet port adjacent one end thereof, and a continuously open port adjacent the opposite end thereof, a source of liquid supply under pressure, connections between said source and said inlet port and said continuously open port respectively, a piston in said cylinder having its opposite sides of unequal areas with the larger area presented toward said inlet and said outlet ports, a conduit between said valve controlled outlet port and said filling head, means whereby said valves are successively operated to cause the actuation of said piston to permit the filling and cause the emptying of said cylinder, and an automatic shifting device communicating with said filling head.

15. In a machine of the character described, the combination with a filling head, of a cylinder, having a valve controlled inlet, and a valve controlled outlet port adjacent one end thereof, and a' continuously open port adjacent the opposite endthereoi, a source of liquid supply under pressure, connections between said source and said inlet port and said continuously open port respectively, a piston in said cylinder having its Opposite sides of unequal areas with the larger area presented toward said inlet and said outlet ports, a conduit between said valve controlled outlet port and said filling head, means limiting he extent of movement of said piston away from said inlet port to control the volume of liquid delivered thereto, and an automatic shifting device communicating with said filling head.

AMOS CALLESON. 

